Innovation – entirely new or something old disguised as new
Estonian people want to accomplish great things and there are many such people in South Estonia. It is a place for state-of-the-art science and plenty of knowledge as people have joined their efforts to do those things together. The harmonious community doesn’t need to be homogeneous but one that accepts differences. It protects the small language, notices the local idiosyncrasies and safeguards pure nature. On the other hand, education and entrepreneurship are keys that open every region’s path to success.
South Estonians enjoy doing things differently – besides the timber industry and other traditional areas, South Estonia is also a paradise for hikers, a go-to place for local food enthusiasts, a safe haven for handicraft lovers and a hotbed of creative industry. The potential of all those directions can be harnessed even further.
The combination of a traditional lifestyle, the wisdom of our forefathers and contemporary technologies give rise to creative and sustainable solutions that make it possible to achieve professional success, earn an income and even make the world a better place. At least this is the impression we get from just a few examples of smart entrepreneurship in South Estonia. Be it Old Jüri’s Soap Chamber, Kurenurme Solar Park or the Masters’ Courtyard at Mooste Manor, their initiators toil tirelessly on the frontline of entrepreneurship. They are welcome additions to tens and hundreds of other active entrepreneurs in South Estonia, each of them in their own way.
“The many faces of innovation: for one person, it is the technology, for another the innovative use of traditional know-how; yet another imagines innovation as a conscious development process, the fourth pictures an innovative start-up, and the fifth sees something else entirely… However, nobody doubts that innovation starts with people. Oddly enough, South Estonia is brimming with particularly innovative people.”
National Geographic Estonia, September 2017
